Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto, just playing with it.
Er, this is like, the eighth Semi-SI I've written. Oops? (Also the second I've posted.)
-emerald-
Let me start off by saying that I wasn't special. I wasn't unique. I didn't have a particularly tragic past, unless you counted the mass amount of bullying I went through. I wasn't amazingly kind, nor was I unnaturally cruel.
I wasn't crazy beautiful, or smart, or ugly, or dumb. I just was. I existed, but I wasn't important enough to be mentioned. I hovered at the edge of your sight, and I was so completely average, that your eyes would easily slide over me.
I had a decent sized group of friends, my parent weren't divorced, or going trough a rough patch. My brother wasn't so spectacular that they ignored me, and I had a dog. The only unnatural thing about me, was how normal I was. Brown hair, pale skin, brown eyes. I was an average height of five foot five. I wasn't overweight, but neither was I skinny.
I wasn't athletic, but I did well in PE. I wasn't smart but I got straight C's with some B's mixed in. I didn't have some horrible, or minor disfigurement. My voice was neither high, nor low. I didn't spend all my time outside, or stay inside for days on end.
I was normal. Unnoticed. Overlooked. People would go to my funeral, but other than my family, none would visit my grave. Ten years later, they might remember a brown haired, brown eyed girl who they used to hang out with in high school, who was trying to become a teacher in college. The girl that died as another statistic, and they might remember that she watched.
That she saw, because no one else saw her. That she remembered birthdays, and their pets names. That she always seemed to know. They might remember that she watched some strange, foreign cartoons.
Then they would hear their child crying, or their significant other walk into the room; they'd remember that they needed to get to work, or go to the grocery store.
Then they'd forget.
They'd forget the strangely normal girl, with the strangely normal family. They'd forget that she died, and how.
They'd never realize how scared that girl had been when the car swerved toward her. How she tried to get out of the way, but couldn't. They'd never know that the man who did it later hung himself in remorse for taking her life.
Honestly? The most unnatural thing about me, aside from how completely normal I was, was the fact that I didn't die right. That after I died, I remembered. That I knew, and that this time? I wasn't going to be normal. I was going to have friends, real ones, the ones you read about, or see in movies. I was going to be something.
I decided that I wanted to live.
-tones-
I was six years old when I woke up. It was something stupid that caused it, the child had fallen off her bed and had gotten scared, she cried but no one came. So I appeared instead. I had wanted to be a teacher for a reason. I did like kids. I assume that it was that portion of who I was that appeared first.
I didn't count on fusing with the child. Strange concept, considering we were one soul, and that she was just the newer version.
The updated model.
We fused into one, and my personality took over hers. I didn't feel any guilt, though I did wonder if I should have. We already were the same person, there was no reason for me to feel bad. The child part of me was still happy, and most importantly? I was the one, out of the two of us, that was most likely to survive in the situation my soul had found it self in.
I blinked around at my new surroundings, taking in faded and beat up walls. A mattress laid on the floor, it was dirty and stained, two threadbare blankets and one flat pillow decorated it. Looking down at myself, the first thing I noticed was that my skin was dark. Not black, but very close, with a caramel edge to it. It was stretched over thin arms. The next was that my hair was black, and that it fell over my shoulder in a messy braid. It was greasy, but from the state of the room, I assumed that I didn't take baths often.
The... kimono? The kimono I wore was also threadbare, and it must have been green at some point. Carefully, I stood up, then started walking toward the door at the end of the room. When I reached it, I attempted to open it. It was locked.
Surveying the room again, I noticed a window, and wandered toward it. Peering out, I frowned. I was on the second story. No jumping out through there then. A memory, one that belonged to the little girl I now was, niggled at the back of my head. Scampering back to the door, I rapped my knuckles against it, and waited.
It opened not long after. A beautiful woman with hair like spun gold looked down at me. The only thing that made her ugly was the sneer on her face. She looked at me like I was trash, the child in me was used to that. Used to being looked at with hate, or disgust, sometimes even fear.
"Fine, come, Akuma. To the bathroom with you." I followed her, and with horror, I realized where I was. I was in a brothel.
"Keep your fucking head down, Akuma! Nobody wants to see those eyes." The beautiful woman snapped at me. Immediately, I ducked my head down. How would I survive here?
'What did she mean about my eyes?' I wondered. Was there something wrong with them?
-emerald-
I was...angrier, more violent in this life. I had a viscous streak a mile long, and a tongue sharper than the edge of a katana. I was smarter, and could understand at the age of seven, what I couldn't at twenty-two. I scowled at the blonde woman, Michiko, and continued walking.
"You leave those doors, Isamu, you won't be welcomed back." Michiko, the woman who was supposed to be my mother, threatened.
"You starve me, lock me in a cold room, and call me demon. It is not my fault that you made me with someone you didn't want to. I will not come back, Mother. There is no reason to. You do not care for me, nor do you take care of me. Goodbye, and may it be the last you have to see of me." I spoke, articulated. The largest of my blankets was formed into a pack of sorts, thrown over my shoulder and carrying the few belongings I had. I continued walking, my feet barely making a sound. One of the younger girls, a new one, made her way over to me.
"If you're smart, you'll hide your eyes, Isamu." She informed me, pulling out a pair of shaded glasses. I frowned, but took them.
"Thank you, Ayane." I murmured. She smiled at me as I put them on. They fit me well, and I couldn't help but wonder if she had bought them for me.
"The house-mother won't be happy that you allowed her to leave, Michiko." I heard one of the males inform the woman. I ignored it, and purposefully stepped outside for the first time in my new life.
-tones-
I stood in front of one of the friendlier shops, a small cup in front of me. Tucking a strand of messy black hair behind my ear, I took a deep breath, and then started to sing.
"I know you,
I walked with you once upon a dream.
I know you,
That look in your eyes is so,
Familiar a gleam.
But I know, it's true,
That visions are seldom all they seem.
But if I know you,
I know what you'll do.
You'll love me at once,
The way you did once,
Upon, a dream." A few coins landed in my cup, but not many, by the end of the day, I might have enough money to buy a snack. It had been six months since I had left the brothel, and the only reason that I knew the timeframe was because of Ayane. The woman would visit me, bringing with her small gifts, such as clothing, and even a pair of shoes. For some reason, the woman wasn't scared of me, of my eyes. My unnatural, impossible eyes
. As I finished the song, I heard the telltale clacking of a working woman's shoes. I turned my head, sunglasses covering my eyes. I stared for a few moments, my face slowly losing all color. Then promptly fainted.
I had known that I was in Japan, an old time version, but Japan nonetheless. What I hadn't known, was what universe I had landed in. When I had turned, I had seen Ayane, as expected. I hadn't planned on her companion, however. Extremely tall with rippling muscles, garbed in green, two caterpillars calmly sitting on his brow.
Might Gai. The Might Gai, a character who I had admired in my first life. Alive, forehead protector, orange leg-warmers and green jumpsuit included.
I had been reincarnated into Naruto.
-emerald-
I woke up slowly, and I felt like I was swaying. Blinking open my eyes, I stared. The man carrying me gave me a grin.
"Good morning, Isamu-chan. Are you feeling better?" I stared dumbly for several moments, noticing that we were surrounded by trees, not buildings.
"Who?" I asked, my voice raspy.
"Gai-sama, Isamu. He's a Konoha shinobi that I hired." Ayana spoke, I turned my head toward her.
"Why?" I asked her, confused. She smiled at me.
"To take us to Konoha." She said softly. I tilted my head at her, and she ruffled my hair.
"I can take better care of you there, Isamu." She elaborated. She had no reason to do that. Was she just that kind?
"You aren't Michiko." I informed her. Her face twisted at the mention of my biological mother's name.
"No, I'm not. However, you are a child. No matter what she says, no matter how strange your eyes are. You're also very sweet." Was she kidding? I was an angry brat in this life, I was violent, and had been violent on many occasions.
"Speaking of eyes, may I see yours, Isamu-chan?" Gai questioned. I was hesitant. Now that I knew where we were, I knew who my father was. It wasn't that hard to tell, not after seeing my eyes. I kinda wanted to smack myself for not noticing it earlier, honestly speaking.
Shyly, I pulled the glasses off my face, and looked up at him. I knew what he saw. Emerald irises, surrounded by a red sclera. Unlike my father, I did have pupils, though that almost made them more frightening.
"I see." He murmured.
"Isamu-chan has such unique eyes! She'll grow up to be very pretty." He grinned. I smiled at him, awkwardly, as the expression wasn't often on my face, but I smiled nonetheless.
-tones-
It was nearly a year later when I first saw him. He sat alone on the swing, every other child avoiding him. I knew who it was immediately, he was rather distinctive. I walked toward him, my head held high, and my eyes hidden behind a pair of shaded goggles.
"Hello." I spoke, looking down at him. Wide eyed, he stared at me.
"Um... hello." I smiled, showing my teeth.
"My name is Isamu." I bowed.
"Naruto."
The world would never be the same.
-emerald-
Growling, I scowled at the females that sat two feet away. Did they have to be so damn loud? We were training to be ninja, for fucks sake. I blamed my father for the anger issues that I had inherited. I closed my eyes and rubbed at my temples. From the corner of my eye, I could see Shino doing the same. I made a split second decision and walked over to him.
"Aburame-sama." I intoned, my voice deeper than the other females my age.
"Isamu-san. What can I do for you?" He asked. I smirked, which fit on my mouth better than a smile.
"I was wondering if you'd like to join me outside for lunch. As the teacher isn't here, I doubt he'd mind us leaving a few minutes early. There's also them." I jerked my head toward the screaming mass of fangirls.
"That would be acceptable, why? Because those of us with enhanced senses rarely take well to loud, shrill noise." Damn, Shino be throwing shade. He stood from his seat and grabbed his lunch. I followed as he left the classroom. We sat outside in silence, rarely speaking, but not really needing to.
"Would you be willing to offer me any advice, Aburame-sama?" He tilted his head to show that he was listening.
"I only have one shinobi in my, well, family, of sorts. He's currently out on a rather long term mission. As you hail from a clan, I was hoping you would have some insight. What is a balanced diet for shinobi our age? Particularly ones who have built the kind of muscle mass that you and I do." He was silent for a moment, and I can honestly say that I was surprised by what he offered next.
"If you are not adverse to it, I will invite you to dinner. My mother is a medic, she could tell you. I'm afraid my knowledge on dietary matters are remiss." I thought about it.
"It would be an honor, Aburame-sama." It really would, too. Very few people were ever invited to the Aburame clan compound. The teacher stepped outside to inform us that lunch was done.
"What should I wear?" I asked. He looked me over.
"The battle yukata you wore last weak will suffice, Isamu-san. Also, please feel free to call me Shino." I ducked my head.
"Of course, Shino-sama." I said, my smile aimed at the ground. I was pretty sure he saw it anyway.
-tones-
I looked over myself in Ayane's large, full body mirror. The girl who stared back was someone I had come to expect, though it was still jarring at times, particularly the eyes. I was large for a ten year old, my shoulders broad. The black and forest-green yukata fit snugly in the shoulders, and fell down to my ankles. The sleeves were nonexistent, but you could see a bit of my mesh bodysuit around my neck. The lack of sleeves showed off the muscle mass that I had, which was rather impressive, if not feminine.
I turned my attention to my face, and frowned at how much of Michiko I saw. I had her eye shape, her delicate chin. My lips were filling out, and I knew that they'd turn into the pout that she had worn with pride. A delicate, almost aristocratic nose. My coloring and body type seemed to be the only things that I had received from my father.
I studied my cheekbones, and almost smiled when I saw that they were Kakuzu's. My eyelashes were long, casting shadows over those cheekbones. My eyes moved to my brows, and I smirked. They were curved, like my mother's had been. But they were full.
Shaking my head, I wrapped my calloused hands with white bandages, winding them up to my forearms. I then pulled on my goggles, and my black ninja sandals.
"Ayane, I'm leaving!" I yelled, jogging toward the door.
"Where to?" She asked, stepping out of the kitchen, covered in flour. I avoided her hug, in order to avoid the flour.
"The Aburame clan compound. Hopefully, Shino-sama's mother will have an answer to your food questions." She nodded, then looked me over.
"Well, its the most formal outfit you have, so It'll do. This wouldn't be a problem if you'd let me buy you a kimono." I snorted at her.
"My shoulders are too broad, you'd have to make a special order. That's expensive." I muttered, before opening the backdoor.
"I love you! Behave, oh, wait!" I raised an eyebrow, but obediently stopped. Two minutes later, she bustled out, a basket in her hands. I peaked and my lips quirked up. Everything from sweets to bread was piled into the basket.
"Tell them it's a gift from me, and a thank you for having you over." I nodded, and kissed her in the cheek.
"You're almost as tall as I am!" She exclaimed, laughing. I smirked, and shifted the basket into a better position for running.
"That's not much of an accomplishment." I told her. I didn't wait for her reaction, instead choosing to sprint toward my destination. I heard an angry yell, and laughed as I slowed my pace. Checking on the food, and finding none damaged, I continued at a much slower pace.
'To the Aburame's I go.'
-emerald-
Chapter one! Lemme know what you think! Criticism is welcome, but please be polite!
Isamu is quickly becoming my favorite,
-Tigressa.